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More than 50,000 social care workers will receive a £1,000 bonus payment after tax and national insurance, the Welsh Government has announced.

The payment coincides with a pay rise for social care workers, bringing their wages in line with the real living wage.

The bonus payment is part of a £96m investment, on top of the £43.2m announced in December to boost wages.

The Welsh Government said it expects the payment to be processed between April and June as a single payment or monthly instalments.

Making the announcement, the Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Social Services, Julie Morgan, said: “At a time when we are facing a cost-of-living crisis, this additional payment to care workers receiving the real living wage shows our commitment to supporting people and encouraging more people to consider a rewarding job in care.

“I’ve seen first-hand the difference social care workers make to people’s everyday lives and I know just how valued they are.”

Last month, councils across Gwent warned people may see changes in their care arrangements due to social care staff shortages.”

A national recruitment campaign is being funded by the Welsh Government in an attempt to address the staff shortages and “professionalise” the care sector.

Mrs Morgan said: “We want to see more people take up permanent jobs in social care and start a rewarding career. We also hope those who are considering leaving social care, or who have already left, will stay.”

Councillor Shayne Cook, who is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Social Care, said the bonus “will be appreciated by social care workers across Caerphilly, especially at a time of rising costs”.

Cllr Cook said the bonus “acts as a positive enticement for those who might be tempted to work in this most valuable sector”.

Plaid Cymru’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Rhun ap Iorwerth, welcomed the £1,000 bonus but said it “does not address the real issue that too many of our hard-working carers have already left the profession for higher wages elsewhere”.

He continued: “Until those working in caring are rewarded and recognised as they deserve and that they have the autonomy and funding to provide the high-quality care services they can be proud of, quick fix payments like this will have little more effect in the long term than putting a sticking plaster on a deep wound.”

Meanwhile, the chair of Care Forum Wales, Mario Kreft MBE, called for the bonus to be given to everyone working in the care sector, including cooks, care support workers and cleaners.

He said: “I am thinking of people who may have been dealing with infection control, catering and cleaning staff because they have all played an absolutely key role in keeping people safe.

“We really need to have clarity that these people are not going to be overlooked because there has been an astonishing commitment by the social care sector and social care workers in different settings come in all shapes and sizes.”